Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Thank you on all fronts! I've been working behind the scenes to put the pieces in place. Now all I have to do is put them all back together again!

And thanks, she's the best!

Thanks Joey. If you can build a complete car from the ground up in a few short months, I sure as hell can get this one back together. From one Joey to another, I appreciate your support big time!

Thanks Timm! Hope you had a relaxing rest of your Sunday!

Trying to!

Haha yeah, she's something else. I love cruising around town in her vintage car too.

Exactly!

Hahahha I thought about that today when I was out in the garage. Details to follow.

 

Good info! Thank you

Like I mentioned previously, that one is 100% on me. I'm an overly trusting person, which sometimes has its drawbacks. This was a prime example.

Fair enough. I did mine in a high-riding style to emulate that era!

That's what we concluded too.

Glad you caught those. I've worn them as my shoe of choice since my Richmond days in 2014. I've worn through numerous of the black-on-black pairs, and I recently picked up a white pair to match Version 2.0 a little better. Don't worry, they've both already been covered in dirt, dust, grease and grime.

A random picture from shooting @tdog's "Omaha Coupe" for DicE's Slot Mag.

I have a strong feeling that it will all work out in the end. Matt has been a big savior on this project for sure!

I saw that. I have a strong lead on a 59AB in SoCal. I'm going to check it out when I head down south for TROG. Thank you for the heads up!

 

It's Sunday night and things are winding down after a very relaxing/fun/eventful long weekend. Let's dive right in.

Yesterday morning, I pulled up to the shop with a clear goal: take on a task where I knew we would succeed. We weren't thinking about the engine—we were thinking about the big picture. With that, we shifted our focus to the pedals.

It felt good to revisit the pieces that I had been working on a month ago. The 10 gauge frame plate, the sandblasted pedal bracket with threaded holes, everything. With David's help, we worked it into position and tacked it in place.

Next, I made templates for the pedal support plates.
I welded as much as I could. I'll finish the final pieces once the engine and trans are out.

Looking solid!

We then bent the clutch arm to align with the pedals. This will be fine-tuned when we rebuild the transmission.

As the sun set over Petaluma, I felt good about the day's progress. The pedals are in place, and we're one step closer to getting this car on the road.

Before I left the shop, I asked David if he had any sage advice for my Version 1.5 disassembly, which was planned for Sunday. "Just remember to take breaks," he said.

 

Today was my day to get stuff done. It was quiet on the cul-de-sac, and it felt good walking down the front steps into the warm late fall sunlight. After reviewing Les Andrew's Model A book, I started removing cotter pins, organizing hardware and pulling the car apart. Sonny and the Sunset's album "Longtime Companion" played in the background.

Soon thereafter, I slid the rearend out from under the car. Success! With the complete assembly removed, I cleaned the clamshell and submerged all the necessary hardware in the ChemDip bucket.

Even though I've taken Version 2.0 apart dozens upon dozens of times, this was the first time I've taken the rear out of this one. I'd chalk today up as a victory.

On Tuesday, you're going to see two Model A roadster build threads cross paths. @Jeff34 was kind enough to let me run the rear from his "Flathead Flathead" project, which is in the middle of its V8 conversion. I'll be picking it up in a couple days and installing it at the end of the week.

Talk about fun with old cars!

 

Thanks guys!

I saw that. It could definitely be an option.

I've heard rumors of those engines and, as a matter of fact, was texting with Keith Tardel earlier today.

 

Back in the early days of this thread, I used to post a lot of stuff like this.

Tonight, I took a long walk through the Inner Richmond and Haight picking up odds and ends for the rearend swap (and dinner). I trimmed and installed the freshly oiled cork clamshell gasket and pulled the hardware from the ChemDip bucket. Other highlights include new gaskets, new lock washers and new cotter pins.

During my disassembly, I realized that my car has a seven-leaf rear spring. That means it was either a roadster spring, or someone removed some leaves in the past 92 years. The spring attached to the rearend I'm picking up tomorrow has 10 leaves, so I am going to use the old all-thread and C-clamp technique to get the right ride height.

Question: what type of grease do you recommend for the U-joint? I heard that cornhead grease is good, but it's unavailable in San Francisco. On that same note, does anyone have a recommended grease or oil for the inner torque tube clamshell? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sidebar 34: Jeff to the Rescue

Yesterday, I made the trip to Petaluma to meet up with @Jeff34 and pick up the replacement rearend. As I backed into his driveway, I saw his '34 pickup, which has been in his family for years. (When I have some more time, I'll see if I can dig up the RJ Times coverage of it from one of the Northern California Reliability Runs). The truck sports a warmed-over flathead, complete with dual carbs and Edelbrock heads. It sounds healthy and runs even better.
After checking out his in-progress "Flathead Flathead" roadster, we rolled the rear out of the garage.
Using some strategic maneuvering, we managed to load it in the back of my truck. Even with two of us, it was still pretty heavy.

With that, I thanked Jeff for his generosity and I was on my way. Friends helping friends—this is what hot rodding is all about.

You never know what you'll find on the streets of Petaluma!

 

With the rear still in the bed of the truck, I disassembled the leaf spring pack using heavy-duty C-clamps and all-thread. I'll be off camping tonight, but I plan to start re-assembly tomorrow after work. Oh, and Jeff also lent me the fabled cornhead grease, so the clamshell will be a-okay. I'm looking forward to putting the pieces back into position.

So then we can get back to more of this. Photo by Erik Jutras.

 

Same here. Interestingly enough, my neighbor at my old house had a yellow one. Every time I look at it, I swear it's chopped. Such a killer body style.

 

It's been a super busy week, but I have lots of thread updates happening soon.
Feat. Yama!